A Guardian Angel

[dasha]

Pinewood, West Virginia was a small quaint town. Simple, cute, quiet… boring. Nothing exciting ever happened… and when it did it was quickly swept under the rug to prevent from any unwanted hype. One of those little towns where the local barn was the most popular place around… and where if you were on the football team you were practically a hero to all the other people that lived there. It was a town where everyone knew everyone and everyone’s business… in this town there was no such thing as a secret unless the whole town was keeping that secret from the outside world. It was like a small world oblivious to the real world. Not to say they didn’t know what went on or were Amish or anything like that they knew what was going on in the government and had cars and such. They were just…. Secluded. It was about 12 miles till the nearest actual city with an Albertsons or Wal-Mart. It was a cute little vacation place or getaway and that’s usually what they stamped onto the postcards but it was no San Diego or Manhattan… heck it wasn’t even a Dallas… it was like a speck of dirt compared to them… but the people who lived here sure loved it.

Everyone except Vivian Kings. Born and raised in California, you know the place where it’s always sunny and you spent all day in your bathing suit and everyone was tan and a celebrity, Vivian wasn’t at all in her zone out here. Yeah, that’s the place. She went from spending her days by the pool tanning or at parties to… howdy ya’ll and dirt roads. Maybe if this was just a week vacation it wouldn’t have been so bad or maybe if this hadn’t been some form of punishment… but no this is where she now had to call home and it was definitely a punishment. It had only been a few days and she already felt like she was going to die… She missed her friends… her house… and her lifestyle. Her parents reason for send her here was “We just don’t have enough time to give you the attention that you deserve… and it will be good for you to be around your brother.” Yeah sure, in other words you’re not what we signed on for and your brother needs a taste of his own medicine.

Both Sebastian, Vivian’s brother, and Vivian were introduced to horses at a young age. Their mother was a very accomplished dressage rider and wanted her children have the love for horses that she had. Both were very talented riders and it wasn’t long before they were both competing and advancing quickly. That wasn’t the only thing they had in common though. Sebastian was a very… unruly teenager it wasn’t long before he was completely out of his parents control and they sent him to live with his grandpa in West Virginia. Growing up though Vivian always looked up to Sebastian and thought they had a pretty close relationship when she was little she’d do anything just to get him to spend time with her. So when he was sent away it was hard for her to recover from. She missed being around him and therefore found other things to do to keep her mind off of it. Other than swearing she would never do drug, there was basically nothing she hadn’t done or tried. Her parents ignored the growing issues until they were out of control just like with Sebastian and then did the same thing with her.

After spending an extremely uneventful weekend at the barn and at the house she was ready to welcome Monday with open arms. School was… less than what she was used to but way better than she was expecting. She made friends easily and signed up for Cheerleading and Volleyball which back in California was most of her life. Even though she would never admit it, especially to Sebastian, she actually kind of maybe a little bit liked her here. Sure it was slow paced compared to California but she was just going to have to get used to it. This was home now she didn’t have a choice. Her mother was kind enough to send her horse out to her so he’d be her within the next day or so which would make adjusting just that much easier. Vivian’s life consisted of a few key things. Riding, Volleyball, Cheerleading, and her social life were those key things. Once her horse was safely settled into Pinewood she’d basically have everything that was important to her. Sure the social life, cheer leading squad, and volleyball team were a lot smaller than it was before but something was better than nothing right?

Now it was pretty late… she lost track of time and wasn’t sure what time it actually was but she knew it was late. It was dark and cold but the lights from the surrounding stores and the bar gave it a lively glow as opposed to the semi grey feeling you got from it during the day. She was trying to mentally prepare herself for the scolding she would get from Sebastian… he may have been just like her when he was her age if not worse but he came down harder on her than her parents ever did. She had only been there a few days and they had already had fought and bumped heads a lot. There was no way he was going to let her walk into the house this late and let it slide… and sneaking in was pointless seeing how he knew of just about every trick in the book, which was causing her to have to think outside of the box. Luckily for her it was a pretty good walk from town back to their house so she had a while to come up with a good way to handle the up and coming situation.

As she passed the alley way a cold wind blew through giving her the chill and pulling her from her thoughts. She paused and glanced down it squinting her eyes into the dark. The whole town was light up… except for this alley… kind of creepy. She rubbed her arms to get rid of the goose bumps that were now on her arms. It was kind of silly to be standing staring into the dark but by the time she realized how stupid she probably looked, her eyes had adjusted to the dim lighting and she noticed something on the ground along the wall. Vivian was naturally a creature of curiosity and was never one to be afraid of the dark so she stepped into the alley and tilted her head to the side to get a better look. That something on the ground was a guy… and unless she was mistaken he looked pretty beat up. She knelt down and gently touched her hand to his shoulder. Now having a closer look at this guys face it was to her surprise to find out that she actually knew him… er… well she’d seen him before… a couple of months ago she’d talked to him at the cemetery when she was here for her grandpa’s funeral. Pulling herself out of the surprised daze that she’d been dragged into she shook her head in a slight panic and immediately grabbed her phone to call 911…

[haze]

It had been months... but he couldn't stop thinking about it. She had come and gone so quickly he honestly wasn't sure if he'd dreamed it, hallucinated in one of his drunken stupors, or she had actually been there. Whatever the truth might have been, though, he couldn't get her off his mind and he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why. He didn't even know her name for crying out loud! It was very unlike him to be so focused on anything besides his own misery and how he could most quickly end his own life, but he just couldn't get this girl out of his head, and he felt like it was slowly but surely driving him insane.

Of course, he was still impossibly guarded despite his mind being elsewhere. No one would be able to tell something was bothering him... not that anyone would actually care if they could tell... but still. His expression was almost constantly stuck between blank and scowling, a look that made him nearly impossible to read but still drove people away. If there was one thing that was perfectly clear about him, it was that he was quite angry about something and was likely to take it out on anyone who rubbed him the wrong way. Unfortunately, most people read that look as also meaning he wanted everyone to stay away from him and to leave him to his misery so he could die alone and in pain. Honestly, it was quite the opposite. Tyler would have killed to have someone... anyone care about him. His whole life only one person had ever really cared, and he longed to have that feeling back, to know that there was at least one person out there who would miss him if her were to end up dead in the streets somewhere... but that was an impossible wish... there was no one left who could possibly care. He had no family, the closest thing he had to friends were the guys he faced off against in the fights and the people who bet on him to win in those fights. It was the impossible dream.

But we deviate from the point. With his lack of ability to focus these past months, things hadn't been so great for him. Not only was he loosing more fights than he won, but every time he was about to drift off to sleep and possibly get a few short but sweet moments of rest, he saw her again, heard her voice saying those words “Guess that means the clock’s struck twelve…” Then there was always the smile as she walked away... he couldn't even remember the last time he had seen someone smile at him without sinister intentions behind it... and those could hardly be called smiles... if only Tyler knew what love looked like, he would be seriously concerned that he had fallen in love with this imaginary woman at the cemetery... Indy... that was what the person with the flashlight had called her. Dear Lord, was it possible he had been seeing ghosts? He really had gone insane.

He was jolted out of his thought process quickly and suddenly with the sudden sharp pain shooting through his body as a powerful fist connected with his ribs. By this point, both fighters were bloody and bruised, out of breath and gasping for air. Normally this was the part where Tyler came out on top since he was typically more capable of shrugging off exhaustion than the other guy... but he'd gone off again in his own little world thinking about this Indy again and that was his downfall. As soon as he lost sight of what he was doing, the other guy had the upper hand... and at this point, whoever got the upper hand would come out the winner because it was impossible to bring them down.

The force applied to his body sent him reeling back and knocked the wind completely out of him. At that point, most sensible men would have waved the white flag of surrender... but years of alcohol abuse and lack of guidance in his life had... well, he just wasn't all that intelligent when it came to knowing when to back down. Then again, he couldn't really breathe right now, so doing anything before the guy descended on him wasn't really possible either. While he was still doubled over in pain, the other guy approached and with impressive gusto threw a right hook into his jaw, successfully putting an end to his consciousness.

By the time Tyler came to, the condemned building was empty and it was far later than when he'd been knocked out. He sat up slowly with a groan, putting his hand to his throbbing forehead. Such a lovely feeling... waking up in complete darkness with a tsunami of a migraine, a rather nasty bruise on your jaw and an even worse one to the ribs, and blood... well, everywhere. Street fighting was definitely not pretty, but it was definitely the most legitimate form of fighting there was. No rules, no referees to pull you apart, no protective headgear of gloves... just man against man.

After a fight that went so horribly as that, there was really nothing for him to do except go get wasted... so that was just exactly what he did. Granted, it took some doing to get a guy like Tyler drunk... so by the time he stumbled out of the bar in just enough time to miss one of the infamous bar fights... it was definitely very very late... not that time of day mattered to him. The concussion he undoubtedly sustained from the fight coupled with the vast amount of alcohol he had consumed was definitely more than just about anyone could handle, and he hadn't made it more than a few blocks before it got the best of him and he passed out cold in the darkness of the alleyway. This was certainly not an uncommon scenario with Tyler. Most of the time he was either passed out from getting drunk, unconscious because of a fight or the resulting blood loss later, or some combination of the two... it was certainly a questionable choice of lifestyle... but it was the one he'd chosen.

Not a whole heck of a lot of time had passed, though he was completely unaware of time at all in his unconsciousness, before a hand came to rest on his shoulder, and somewhere in his sub conscience that registered. It took a few moments before finally his sub conscience was able to get the message sent and return him to his conscious state of mind. Unfortunately... having a hangover definitely didn't help with the migraine he'd had earlier and it was almost up to the level of nauseating. He felt just awful... as he had been fully aware he would when he first made the decision to go get drunk... but hell, he was a hardcore alcoholic, what more could be expected? When finally he had come to his senses, he stirred slightly and cracked his eyes open slowly to find none other than the Indy girl kneeling beside him, looking very worried, with her phone in her hand. It took a moment for all that to really register before he realized she was probably calling an ambulance... seeing as he kind of looked like he was bleeding to death...

Once again, she had caught him off guard... he was just lucky that this time it was because he was drunk and suffering from a concussion and not because his emotions were all screwed up. Slowly, he pushed himself up into a sitting position, forcing down the pain and nausea resulting from said action. What are you doing here? he asked painfully for lack of a better thing to say. He wasn't meaning to come off as rude or abrasive... that was just how he was. Somewhere, deep down, he was glad to see her... if only to know that he hadn't just imagined her... that is until he realized that with the amount of alcohol he'd consumed and the beating he'd taken, it was entirely possible that he was only imagining her again and he started to get concerned all over again. She was going to drive him completely insane, mark my words.

[/size]

[dasha]

Right when she was about to hit send/call he opened his eyes… She paused unsure of really what to do… call her sheltered but she’d never found a guy she knew, half beat to death and definitely drunk from the smell of alcohol wafting off his clothes, passed out in an alley way. It was a new experience but one she could now mark off her “I’ve never” list. He slowly propped himself up and was now sitting in front of her looking well… like crap. None of this shook her though at least you couldn’t tell from the outside. This time she wasn’t compromised. She was fully and completely guarded… knowing that he had already seen her unguarded, though, helped keep her relaxed and in a little more of a sympathetic mood than normal… course the fact that he looked half dead aided into her being more sympathetic and concerned. More than the time before that is. Before she had found him in a vulnerable emotional state… and this time he was in a vulnerable physical state.

His first words were “What are you doing here?” Nothing was throwing her for a loop though, not the fact that he was so beat up, not the fact that this was their second meeting (that wasn’t so rare considering the size of the town), nor the fact that he always seemed to be in a… bad state when she found him. But that was definitely unexpected… first off she wasn’t really expecting him to say anything except maybe “thank you” but he was in such bad shape that she wasn’t really planning on hearing him say anything… but “what are you doing here” she should have just left him there, that was her sarcastic harsh side speaking though. Her eyebrow cocked up and she leaned away from him kind of taken back by what he said. She crossed her arms in almost a guarded way “Oh well you know I was just strolling through the dark alley way for the heck of it… didn’t you know it’s what all the cool kids are doing these days…” she retorted with a roll of her eyes. The nerve of this guy…

Thinking after she spoke she realized that was a little harsh… of course she couldn’t have thought before she opened her mouth… another one of her flaws… She hunched her shoulders over looked down and to the side and chewed on her bottom lip not trying to come up with a way to save herself. “I…sorry…” that threw her off even more... Sorry, wasn’t exactly a word that Vivian used often and yet somehow this guy has gotten her to say it more than once. She was no longer sure if she liked the effect this guy had on her… But it’s not like she was going to be a total jerk to him when he was practically dead… She wasn’t that much of a monster… close but not quite. It took her a minute to regroup and figure out how to fix the mess she just made. “…rough night eh?” that was the best she could come up with followed by a small slight chuckle. It wasn’t like she was uncomfortable or felt awkward or anything she just really wasn’t sure of what to do… or say exactly… I mean what do you say to a guy you only met once which by the way was in a cemetery and you didn’t know his name and now here you are finding him again but this time half dead in the alley… They had a knack for running into each other at odd and random times.

Though she may not have acted like it she did find it odd that she found him again… not to say she was looking for him. After the night in the cemetery she didn’t really plan on running into him ever again… but she knew that if she moved here that it was possible. She wouldn’t be surprised if he already knew who she was… but from the look on his face she guessed he didn’t… that was just a guess though… for all she knew he knew her brother Sebastian and knew all about her history… she honestly wouldn’t have been surprised if the whole town knew about her… but from what she gathered from school today Sebastian hadn’t spoken about her to anyone… guess that shouldn’t have been surprising since he hasn’t really spoken to her in years so why would he talk about her? They weren’t exactly on the best of terms anymore…

“We should get you to the hospital or something… You don’t look so good…” Typically Vivian wasn’t the nurturing motherly type but she once again wasn’t exactly in her element here and from the amount of blood she was seeing she could make the obvious assessment that he needed to get fixed up as soon as possible. She debated in her head whether or not she should attempt to get him there on her own or call an ambulance… It only took a second to come to the conclusion that there was no way her petite figure was going to support his buff, rigid frame all the way to the hospital and she returned her focus to her phone to press call. So much for a boring small town… not but three days in town and here she was calling the ambulance in an alley… She definitely didn’t see this coming.

[haze]

Thanks in part to the massive hangover, the pain, and his lack of a sense of humor resulting from a life of hate... he wanted to respond with something less than, well, amiable... but also due to that life of hate he kept his mouth shut. He had learned at a young age that it was always best to bite your tongue than to say what was on your mind. Of course, to an extent that was true, but this was definitely something that was going to haunt him for the rest of his life. He couldn't talk about things... important things... because of it. Fear of judgement, fear of misunderstanding, fear of just about anything and everything that could result from someone not liking what he had to say held him back. He really didn't even realize that was why, after all, what could this girl do to him? But nevertheless, he decided against saying something that he would likely regret later.

A thank you never even occurred to him. He hadn't ever really had anything to ba thankful in his life except for his older brother... after he died, Tyler was left with just a life that, to put it bluntly, sucked ass. On top of that, he had no idea what she was doing there or what she'd done... and as far as he was concerned, he didn't need help... well, not really, but he liked to think that. Secretly, he was desperate for help with finding some sort of direction in his life, but he was convinced that physically, he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself without help from anyone else. He'd only been to the hospital once, and that was because he was literally dying from being shot and had no say in the matter. So long as he could help it, he was never going back there.

He wasn't too pleased with her sarcastic response to his question... it had been a legitimate question, and as far as she was concerned, he'd done nothing to provoke an answer of that sort. He was just so used to people judging him and using his record against him that he was always instantly defensive when he was around other people. Plus he was so socially inept that he didn't even realize that sometimes sarcasm didn't mean the person was being judgmental of him. He really did wonder why she was there... it didn't seem like the sort of place she would be, especially at this hour. There were a lot of people "like him" wandering the streets this time of night, and it seemed like she would be much safer away from this area. Granted, Pinewood was a very safe town considering the citizens to police ratio, but still, bad things could happen to good people no matter where they were. Tyler had seen it all too often around him.

Odds were, he was never going to be able to function like a normal civilized person, even if, in the off chance, someone did come along to save him from the dangerous road he was heading down. He has lived this way for so long now that he didn't even know how not to. If someone said they would pay him a million dollars to go have a casual flowing conversation with a complete stranger on the street... he wouldn't be able to do it. Without a doubt, he would live his whole life as a "reject" from society, even if he started living and working like most people did. He was so far gone he was past the point of no return. Not to say he couldn't turn things around with someone's help, he just couldn't ever reach the standard people had set in order for someone to be considered normal. He would always have trust issues, he would always be easily provoked to anger end even violence if people weren't careful, he would always struggle with being an alcoholic, he would always have a hard time trying to make it in this world no matter how successful he became, he would always be defensive of himself and the people he cared about, and he would always have to fight to be understood... but that was just who he was. He wasn't like most people.

Her apology had sort of caught him off guard, even if neither of them really knew what it was for. No one ever apologized to him. Well, one of the cops that had shot him had tried to, but Tyler just shut him down, completely uninterested in anything he had to say. He didn't know what had gone down that night, and he was sick of people telling him what had happened. Other than that, he couldn't even remember the last time someone had uttered the word "sorry" to him. He was silent for a time until she suggested that he go to the hospital and returned to her phone, no doubt to call for an ambulance. Determined that this should not happen and to prove that it wasn't needed he forced up a mental block regarding the nauseating pain he was in and pushed himself to his feet, not too hastily, knowing all too well that if he stood up too quickly he'd only pass out again and she'd call the ambulance and they'd come while he was out and he would have no say in the matter.

No, he said in his typical no-nonsense tone, though less forceful than he would have liked, as he straightened up, I don't do hospitals. His mental block wasn't holding as well as he would have liked it to, and he was feeling a little light headed and unsteady, but he was stubborn, and once he got an idea into his head there was no changing his mind. Besides, I'm fine. The blood's mostly not even mine. His biggest reason for wanting to avoid hospitals was the questions that would be raised upon his going there. He couldn't very well make up some story about what had happened since he was a terrible liar, they would suspect him, and the police would get involved, and that was definitely the last thing he wanted. He hated the police more than he hated hospitals and that was saying a lot.

He leaned his weight against the building slightly, attempting to regain his ability to think clearly. His head was spinning slightly, and he knew it was because of the fight he'd lost. All the while he was trying to figure out if this really was happening or if he'd had way more to drink than he'd thought and he was imagining her again. He couldn't deny that she was one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever seen... and so far she had only shown up twice when he was caught in a moment of weakness... was it possible that he had created her in his head to somehow make up for something he was lacking? Was it possible that he had completely lost it?

[/size]

[dasha]

He started moving and a strict but not so firm “No,” came out of his mouth and she stopped messing with her phone and just looked at him blankly. “I don’t do hospitals.” Oh please she just wanted to roll her eyes. “Besides, I’m fine. The blood’s mostly not even mine.” He pushed himself onto his feet but leaned against the wall clearly not stable enough to balance on his own. She stood up in front of him and crossed her arms. Why did boys have to be so stinking stubborn? Not that she could say anything she was probably just as bad if not worse… like when she played volleyball with a broken finger… she wasn’t going to let something that small get in her way of playing in the championships. Course once her coach found out she was pulled but she finished the game. She wasn’t a wussy girl… she knew pain… both physical and emotional… maybe not as much as this guy in front of her but enough to push any other girl over the edge. That was probably why she was friends with so many guys… she definitely wasn’t a fragile little princess girl… she knew how to get dirty and play hard and had a high tolerance for pain. Not to say she was a major tomboy she liked dressing up and doing makeup and all that girlie nonsense… she was just the best of both I suppose.

Even if most of the blood wasn’t his there was still a great deal of it and she wasn’t just going to leave him to die… maybe that was a little dramatic… but still she maybe cold hearted but she wasn’t completely heartless… Normally she would have forced whomever to go to the hospital considering she could be very… forceful when she wanted to be but… in this case she was pretty sure she would lose that battle and Vivian never jumped into a fight unless she knew she would win. “Well I’m not just going to let you stand here and drown in your own blood….” To be honest she couldn’t tell you why she was so… not herself around him. With the people at school she was exactly how she’d been back in California… With Sebastian she was less than an angel… but for some reason she didn’t feel… threatened around him… She was calm slightly out of her element because she had never had anyone she could let her guard down around… with the exception of her horses. No, she didn’t have her guard down… but this situation wasn’t centered on her… for once the eyes weren’t all on her. Sure it was only the two of them but she didn’t feel like he was analyzing every move she made… Course that could have been because he was completely wasted and not in his right mind… but who was she to judge… that was here every night… well minus the blood… and the alley way…

Vivian was a rebellious teenager… she partied hard… did just about every scandalous thing there was. Except for drugs… she swore to herself that she would never wade into those waters. It was just not her thing… she really didn’t have a reasonable excuse for picking drinking over drugs and why drinking was okay but she didn’t think drugs where… She also had her hidden… I mean any girl who had family drama, was captain of the volleyball team, cheer captain, and social chair was going to have issues… Vivian was very good at keeping hers under wraps. Most of life was very secretive no one knew a thing about her that she didn’t want them to know. She didn’t complain though… most teenagers had all the same problems she had… she wasn’t anything special… so she shrugged it off and moved on holding her head high and pretending that this was the time of her life that was the best and that she would never forget it… she got that part right… she would never forget these days…

It wasn’t all bad… she loved cheering, volleyball, and un-admittedly school. She had straight A’s of which everyone assumed she cheated since she was always out partying and doing all sorts of things surely she the pretty athletic girl didn’t have brains too… that would make her all too perfect. No she wasn’t perfect but she wasn’t the dumb blonde everyone expected her to be. Like previously stated… she didn’t let anyone know anything about her that she didn’t want them to know. Being that this was a knew town she had the opportunity to change and be her true self… but she was too far gone to actually attempt to use that fresh start… no she was far too comfortable in the skin she was in. Besides she wasn’t really sure how the real Vivian would act anyways… It was easier to be someone you weren’t then have everyone critic the real you… it was less risky this way and she had no intentions of letting anyone see the real here… with the exception of the guy standing in front of her. No one knew the real Vivian Kings not even her own family that was one rule that would never change… She would have never expected there to be an exception to that rule… but he was now the only exception to that rule.

A tiny almost unnoticeable sigh escaped her lips as she came to two conclusions. 1. She wasn’t going to be able to force him into going to the hospital. And 2. She wasn’t going to be able to be the typical Vivian Kings around him after tonight. “Is there anywhere that I can take you to get cleaned up?” He may have been able to get out of going to the hospital but he wasn’t getting out of this. She wasn’t going to leave him like this… and she’d love nothing more to stay out even longer just to piss her brother off… but that was a different story entirely. Knowing that no one else was around… obviously… she softened her look and smiled slightly… if he only knew what he had gotten himself, involuntarily, into…

[haze]

Right now, Tyler was seriously cursing himself over and over for drinking as much as he had. It took a hell of a lot of alcohol to get him to the point that he couldn't even stand on his own. Granted, the fact that he had likely suffered a concussion somewhere during the process of losing that fight probably played a large part in his inability to support himself on his own two feet, but he really wasn't thinking all that well and hadn't even considered that into it all. Truth be told, more of the blood on him was his than he thought. He was in so much pain as is that he didn't even realize how badly he had been hurt. It still wasn't life threatening, but even so. Once he had gotten himself back up onto his feet, he remembered just why he'd had so much to drink... the pain. There was no way he could get pain drugs strong enough to dull the pain without a prescription, and there was no way he was going to go to the hospital to get them. He had a good reason for not wanting to ever go to the hospital again.

His only memory of a hospital was waking up handcuffed to the bed with no recollection of how he had gotten there or anything in the week and a half prior to waking up there. Not only that, but no sooner had he come to, than a cop walked in and started asking him questions he couldn't answer, but knew he should be able to. He couldn't remember anything that happened, and he was practically terrified because of it. He hadn't meant to get into this sort of trouble, he had really only been hoping someone would help him... but there he was, chained to a hospital being drilled by a policeman with questions he didn't know the answer to. Being only 17, and really not the kind of guy who would ever hurt someone except in self defense, it had left a permanent hate and sort of fear of the hospital in him, and so long as he could help it, he would never go back there. He would sooner get treated in the prison infirmary and risk infection than go to the hospital and get it properly treated.

He looked down at her as she stood and crossed her arms, insisting that she wasn't just going to leave him there. He was slightly worried that she was going to force him into going to the hospital, and honestly he was in no condition to resist... hell he could hardly stand up, if she really wanted to take him there or call the ambulance or what have you, there was nothing he would be able to do about it. He stood there silently, feeling somewhat intimidated. Not so much by her as the situation he was in that put her in such a position of power over him. Though he would never admit it, he had developed an anxiety involving the people in power because of the abuse he had suffered at home. Parents were definitely powerful in a child's mind, so he had come to associate anyone with that sort of authority with the pain he'd felt as a child. Sure, he knew that the odds of her wanting to hurt him for any reason were pretty much non existent seeing as they didn't even know one another, but he couldn't help the things he'd had drilled into his head when he was a kid.

When she asked if there was anywhere she could take him he nearly breathed a sigh of relief. Though he was still uncomfortable with her helping him, this was a far better option than having to go to the hospital, and he could tell she was stubborn probably more than he was, and he wasn't going to argue with her about it. Hell, if he argued, she'd probably change her mind and call 911 if he refused this new "offer." He didn't really have anywhere to go except home... and that made the situation a little more uncomfortable since he had never liked anyone knowing where he lived... just because he would rather be safe than sorry. Nevertheless, there really was nowhere else they could go, and that really was the best option anyway. Even if there were other places, he wouldn't want anyone else seeing him like this, it was bad enough that she already had.

My place... he said after a moment of indecision, It's on Conston... He realized as he said it that with the alcohol impeding his ability to think, he couldn't even remember what the address was. He knew the street, but couldn't remember anything else about it. He knew too many numbers... in prison they'd all gone by their inmate number, all of which he had committed to memory, and now, unfortunately, he couldn't remember which of all those numbers was nailed to the doorway. He could only hope that she knew where that street was, he knew once he got there he'd recognize it, or perhaps remember the number once they were in the neighborhood, but for now, that was the only information he could supply her. He was currently feeling a bit like he was completely incapable of anything. He couldn't stand on his own for long, he couldn't remember his own address, and apparently he couldn't take care of himself either. this was just one huge mess he'd gotten himself into. If only she'd let him lie there in the street until morning came and the alcohol had worn off... but that wasn't what had happened and now he was dealing with the consequences of that.[/center][/size]

[dasha]

It took him a moment to reply with “My place...It’s on Conston…” she hesitated for a split second thinking that it was nuts to go to a complete strangers house but you only live once and if anything bad happened it wouldn’t take long for someone to figure it out. So she nodded and stepped beside him wrapping her fingers delicately around his arm as gently as possible then moved it around her shoulder figuring he wasn’t sober enough to make it all the way there on his own. “Okay here we go” she looked up and gave him a slight reassuring smile as she began to move out of the alleyway. She couldn’t put her finger on it but there was something about him that made her feel and act compassionate toward him. It wasn’t the fact that he was clearly holding onto the pain that he was feeling both physical and emotional… it was something else and she just couldn’t figure it out.

They didn’t get far before he started fading in and out of consciousness and the wait that he was leaning on her was more than she could hold up. She figured from the start that she wouldn’t be able to get him there all on her own… it wasn’t too far but her tiny size 1 frame couldn’t hold up his muscular size who knows what up… yeah it just wasn’t going to happen not today or any other day for that matter. They were about two blocks away from their original destination and she didn’t have any money on her for a cab and from the condition he was in she had a feeling he didn’t have any cash either. That left her with only two options… and there was no way she was calling Sebastian. He would freak out and she was already in deep with him considering it was now sometime in the extreme early morning. She had only been there a few days and it was pretty much guaranteed that if he showed up he’d call the ambulance have them deal with it and chain her to the house and start homeschooling her. The latter part wasn’t that big of a deal… but she knew… that he didn’t want to go to the hospital, even though he probably should, so she was going to make him go that just wasn’t right in her books.

It was about 15 minutes later that Andrew showed pulled up. Andrew was a guy on the football team from school he was extremely charming but mostly just a nice guy that offered to help her around the campus… he was also pretty new in town so they instantly bonded. He was the only other option she had. She had managed to get him to a nearby bench right before he completely lost consciousness and that’s when she called Andrew… he was the only person she knew well enough to call in a favor and that wasn’t saying much since she had only just met him. When he got there he just shook his head at her and helped her get him into his car. Now that they were driving it didn’t take long to get to his street, she was lucky enough that he woke up just long enough to mumble the address and where the hidakey was… I was really slurred so it took her and Andrew a moment to figure out what he actually did say. After helping her get him in the house he asked her “Do you need a ride home?” and after she shook her head and whispered “No I’ll be okay” with that he smirked and told her to “Be careful and stay out of trouble okay?” before leaving.

After he left she raked her brain for what to do next… she knew she wasn’t supposed to let him sleep if he had a concussion and that she needed to make sure he wasn’t bleeding out anywhere. Finding her way into his kitchen she got a bag of ice and some wet and dry towels to clean him up with. She chuckled to herself as she placed the bag on his head and sat next to him. “Good Vivian good you’re in a house with a complete stranger for all you know he could be a serial killer or something…” She knew that wasn’t true though she could tell by the way he carried himself… then again what did she know this was only her second time running into him… But she was pretty good at reading people and when she was around him she felt perfectly safe so she shook her head as if the thought was completely ridiculous. There was no telling how much time had passed and she didn’t really care to find out… all thoughts of Sebastian had disappeared from her mind and all of her attention was on him. She carefully ran the towel over the blood that was on his arm not wanting to invade his personal space while he was unconscious. This was nuts… if someone asked her she honestly couldn’t tell them what she was thinking… But she knew what she was doing was the right thing even if it was going to get her the death penalty when she finally went home but the consequences of her actions were far from her mind right now.

[haze]

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That's what most people were taught as children. Tyler, on the other hand was taught "if at first you don't succeed, you're an utter failure." For that reason alone, he was trying as hard as he possibly could to beat this growing feeling of nausea and exhaustion... and he wasn't doing a very good job of it. He probably would have been just fine lying there in the alley. He would've woken up with a horrible hangover and probably a lot of the negative side effects of a concussion that was "slept" on... but other wise he would have survived. He was used to the pain and the suffering by now. He had very few friends in this world, and the one he'd had... well he wasn't on the greatest terms with her at the moment. She'd been spending way too much time with that cop and his family, and Tyler didn't like it, and hadn't been afraid to tell her so.

He definitely had a lot to hold against the police. He was angry that they never believed him or thought to look into it when they were informed of the abuse going on in the Haze household, he was angry that they had shot and arrested him, he was just overall holding a grudge against them... Harley knew it too, but she had decided to ignore that... even after all he'd done to get her out of jail where the cops put her. He'd nearly gotten himself killed in all those fights he was in to try to earn the money needed for her bail. He tried not to be bitter about it, but it was hard not to. Honestly, he did feel a bit abandoned by her. Before that Charlie fellow they'd been practically like family, now that she was hanging out with him all the time, Tyler hardly saw her anymore. The number of times he'd been "betrayed" by someone he thought he could trust was really growing. His parents, the police, the justice system, the "gang" he'd been in, and now Harley, it was no wonder he was so screwed up.

When she stepped over to him and pulled his arm over her shoulder he cringed slightly at the pain. Tyler was definitely in for a world of hurt tomorrow when the numbness the alcohol had caused wore off. He was already hurting even with the alcohol, so once that was gone... well it wasn't going to be good. The further they went the worse he felt. The pain had gone from aching to throbbing to roaring in a matter of moments, and he was starting to feel like the whole world was spinning and dropping downwards quickly. He didn't remember much of anything after that. He was in a rough spot for sure. It was bad enough that all this had happened in one night, but now another chunk of his life was going to be missing from his memory. He definitely wasn't doing himself any favors by all this fighting and getting wasted... but this was the only life he knew. He had absolutely no recollection of what happened after the first half a block.

When he finally came to again he was surrounded by the same four walls he'd come to know so well, lying on a couch that he knew equally well. Everything here was so familiar... until he caught sight of that girl again. She was beside him, carefully wiping away the blood on his arm. It took him a moment or two to remember how he'd gotten in this condition, and as he did the pain started coming back again. This whole situation was rather awkward for him, seeing as he had absolutely no idea how he'd gotten there, or how she got in... or who she was for that matter. He hated people seeing him in any condition worse than perfectly fine, even people he knew, mostly just because he didn't trust them. He'd gotten used to it with Harley, but even that he wasn't fond of. It was worse when it was someone he didn't know and didn't trust... it just made him completely uncomfortable, and understandably so. What he didn't realize was that being put in these situations was actually good for him.

How did you get here? he asked at long last, making an attempt at sitting up. The pain was quick to stop him, though, and he changed his mind. He was normally quite resistant to pain, but this time, though his injuries weren't the worst he'd had, the pain was fairly intense. It was the sort that made your mind and body refuse to cooperate. No matter how hard the mind tried to force the body to get over it and move, the body just plain old wouldn't listen. His head was spinning, though not nearly as bad as before, with all the pain washing over his body. Right now was one of those times he really wished he and Harley were on better terms. As much as he hated needing help, she was always looking out for him and taking care of him when he got himself into these sorts of situations. With all her experience in fixing him up after a bad fight, she was probably just as skilled as any nurse. She was the closest thing he had to family, and though he wouldn't admit it, he did miss her being around as much as she used to be.

[dasha]

The gentle breeze swept the sweet smell of the ocean over Vivian’s face as she made her way down the pier with her friends. They were laughing being you’re typical rambunctious teenagers… a little more on the obnoxious side than normal. They were all hung over though, so what did you expect. They had their own private party the night before on the beach and passed out. Not a rare occurrence lately, and now they were making their way back home… completely forgetting that it was Monday and they all had school. School was far from their minds. Vivian couldn’t even remember what happened last night let alone what day it was. All she knew was that she’d had fun last night and then woke up on the beach. Right now she wanted aspirin and her bed to pass out in. They already stopped at the dinner on the pier and got a cup of coffee while they all laughed it up, trying to figure out what happened the night before.

Home was no longer a place of comfort, her only hope was that her parents were at work and wouldn’t notice that she didn’t come home and that she was coming home now. They rarely noticed, or pretended not to notice anyways. It was a little game that they played. They pretended not to notice her teenage outbursts and she pretended that they cared. Everyone knew what went on and every now and then they got up the courage to play parent and yell at her or ground her. She just ignored it for the most part it was all just routine to her.

The reality of life hit when she walked up the drive way… or rather stumbled up the driveway. They were home, now her only hope was that they wouldn’t be in the mood to play parents. She just wanted to sleep… her head was throbbing and her throat was sore from puking. She fumbled with her key for a moment before realizing that the door was unlocked, and walked inside. She winced slightly when her father’s booming voice blasted in her ear sending throbbing pain over her head. “Where the hell have you been all night?” This was followed closely with her mother’s gasp. “Oh thank god…” She instantly put her hand on her head as if she thought that touching her head would make the pain go away. Or maybe she was hoping it could work as a shield. The room was spinning but she could still see the anger radiating from her father. She knew all hell was about to be unleashed on her….

“How did you get here?” His raspy words brought her out of her memories. Subconsciously she had zoned out looking at his arm and gently stroking his arm to get the blood off. As soon as his words interrupted her she stopped and noticed that his arm didn’t have a single drop of blood on it anymore. Being caught off guard she stumbled for a minute trying to find the words to answer him. “I uhm… you told me which house was yours…” She wasn’t all that surprised that he didn’t remember… He was pretty out of it when he was telling her what house and where the key was. She slid back away from him suddenly aware of how close she was to him and she didn’t want to invade his space. Considering that she had let herself into his house and had cleaned his wounds… it was a little late for that.

Smiling softly she avoided eye contact, she didn’t really know what to do… she didn’t want to just leave him here… He obviously lived by himself; no one was going to show up to help him out so as far as she knew she was the only one. After going through what she had Vivian tried not to make a habit of abandoning people… she would never want anyone to feel the way she felt, even if she hated their guts. From what she could tell, from their brief meetings, he needed someone who could stay consistent in his life. She got chills just at the idea of getting to know him. This was so out of character for her and she enjoyed the rush… welcomed it enthusiastically actually. Well in secret she welcomed it. Every girl can’t help but to picture the romance behind every and any circumstance… and this had such possibilities for a thrilling twist to what she figured was just going to be a dull small town experience. Vivian was learning quickly not to judge a book by its cover…

[haze]

Tyler really wasn't so sure he was comfortable with her knowing where he lived. Not that he felt threatened by her or anything, but over the years he had become so overly protective of himself, that not letting anyone ever know where he lived was sort of a comfort to him in a way. It was lika having a place where he could go to get away from everyone, and escape all the evils the world had to offer. It really wasn't much, but he'd lived there since he'd gotten out of prison, and it was more of a home than he'd ever had when he lived with his parents. Until now, the only people who really knew he lived there were the old lady who owned the place and rented it out to him, and Harley. He'd never felt threatened by Harley, he couldn't really explain why, though. Most people he never trusted until years of knowing them had gone by... but Harley was just different somehow. The old lady... well, he'd known her since he was a kid, and she'd been kind of like a grandmother to him in their own odd way.

Now, though, that girl who'd been driving him crazy knew where he lived, and for whatever reason that was sort of disconcerting to him. He didn't know why she bothered him so much. It wasn't that he was annoyed by her or that she did anything to really bother him in that sense of the word... he just couldn't get her out of his head, and that made him feel like he was going insane. Even after Jacob died he didn't spend every moment pining over his death... sure, he thought about it a lot and blamed himself and felt horribly guilty about it... but that didn't occupy his every last thought. This girl, though, was stuck in his head like a fly stuck in honey. He kept telling himself that it was because they had first run into each other under such unusual circumstances. He wasn't used to seeing anyone else in the cemetery at that hour, and she'd caught him off guard... he was sure that had to be the reason she was trapped in his mind like that. After all, he was not the kind of guy to particularly like anyone... let alone a girl who he'd only seen once before. Though, he had pretty much liked Harley right from the start... but this was completely different.

His confusion on how she had managed to find where he lived didn't last long. Though he rarely showed signs of being drunk, unless he was really really wasted like he had been tonight, he was very prone to persuasion when he'd been drinking... and as proven, when he wasn't in his right mind he rarely remembered anything. Many times it had gotten him into trouble, not remembering where he'd been or what he'd done. Harley was always telling him he needed to work on that so if someone accused him of something he would have an alibi... but it really wasn't something that could be helped... except to stop drinking, but that wasn't going to happen any time soon. There were very few things in this life that could take away all the years of emotional trauma he'd been through, if only for a little while, and alcohol was by far the best at it... so there was no way he was giving it up unless he managed to find a suitable replacement, which was very highly unlikely.

As she moved away slightly, he realized just how awkward this situation really was. He had no idea who she was... and if she had told him then he didn't remember. As far as he knew, she didn't know who he was either... and now here they were in his house, with her taking care of him, and they were still perfect strangers. He was making a really great impression on her. First he runs into her at the cemetery... then she comes across him passed out completely drunk in an alley in town. Yeah... wasn't he just the knight in shining armor that every girl was hoping to find? Tyler was dooming himself to a life that would only get worse than it was no. If he didn't die from one of the fights he got in then he would probably die from liver failure or something of that nature and it would be a long painful death. After all, the way things were now, he and Harley were done for, and she was really the only person who had cared about him at all... so he'd probably die in some ditch on the side of the road completely alone. What a positive way of thinking he had going on there.

He was desperately trying to remember if she had told him her name, but so far all he had to go off of was that guy at the cemetery calling her Indy... and he had a feeling that wasn't her name... and even if it was, if he called her by it, it just might creep her out. Odds were she didn't even remember him from the first time they'd run into each other, seeing as it had been quite some time ago. Having no such luck, he forced himself to sit up and move so he was no longer perpendicular to the couch and actually had his feet on the floor. He wasn't even going to try to stand up, he knew he'd just pass out again, he'd been in this state often enough in the past to have learned that the hard way, but he didn't want to feel completely helpless. His whole body practically screamed in protest, especially the nauseating migraine reminding him of just how much he'd had to drink and how hard he'd been hit in that fight.

Tyler dropped his head into his hands for a moment, as if that would somehow quell the pain, before looking over at her again, unsure of what to do or say now. Tyler had really never learned all the vital skills of social interaction, and really wasn't much good at conversation. With Jacob it had been easy to just talk about things because he really already knew everything, but when it came to talking to people he didn't know, Tyler was impossibly lost. I... don't know if you already told me... he said, clearly uncertain about what he was about to say, but who are you? He didn't want to sound rude or anything like that, he just really had to know who she was, and he knew if he didn't ask her now he probably never would and then it would drive him insane until the day that he died. perhaps knowing who she was would help to get her out of his mind and he could move on with his life.

[dasha]

They pulled into the driveway if Sebastian’s quant little house Saturday afternoon in complete silence. He had spoken just about 5 words to her since he picked her up at the airport. As she hoped out of the truck she pursed her lips together and nodded. “Guess this is how its gunna be.” She mumbled under her breath as he walked up to the door and unlocked it. She rolled her eyes and grabbed her back from the back of the truck. He definitely wasn’t the guy he was before he left California that was for sure. He walked her up the stairs and showed her which room was hers with an added couple of words. It was like he had a word limit for each day and was afraid of going over it. To be fair she wasn’t putting in much effort either. I guess it’s true what they say some people do just grow apart. She just never thought they would.

It could be that she thought they were much closer than they really were… maybe she just wanted to be close to him and there for just imagined that they were. But she was sure before he left they had bonded and then he just up and left… Yeah sure their parents had sent him off but he didn’t even fight it he actually seemed enthusiastic about going… like it was a freakin dream come true or something. Vivian was quite the grudge holder as you can see. She had felt abandoned, to her he was her guardian he was the only one that would protect her when she got into trouble and she always had that to fall on. Now she was on her own and had to defend herself… which she did learn to do over time… but protecting yourself is nothing like knowing someone is looking out for you and will always be there for you. It just wasn’t the same… and she wasn’t about to forgive him just because they were back together now… especially if he wasn’t going to speak to her. It just wasn’t going to fall right back into place, nope not that easily.

Vivian spent the rest of the evening unpacking and settling into her room… They exchanged minor conversation when it was time to eat but that was it. Even if he was trying to reconnect she wouldn’t have noticed. Not only was she mad at him still… she was mad about being here. There was only one good thing about this place and that was the barn of which she hadn’t seen yet… and that was going to be the first place she went tomorrow. Tired from her flight she went to bed early that night… the earliest she had actually gone to bed in years. But it was a little draining when you’re being kicked out of your house, shoved on a plane, and forced to live with your brother whom you were still holding a grudge against, all in the same day.

Earlier this morning… or I guess technically yesterday now was a huge relief knowing that she didn’t have to hang out with her brother and could actually stay out of the house and meet some people who would help her avoid the house on the weekends it was like the best thing ever. And that was saying something considering it was school and no kid ever welcomed school with open arms. Though to be honest Vivian always loved school and once she joined the board, volleyball team, and cheer squad she knew it was going to be good. It meant the absolute bare minimum time at home and that was just about the only way she was going to survive this.

She met Andrew in her first class and they hit it off immediately. They had four classes together and she quickly learned that he was quite the pain in the ass. This was probably the reason they got along so well, two peas in a pod I suppose. He was fairly new to town as well but already on the varsity football team so they spent most of the day together then made plans for later too. Making friends wasn’t hard for Vivian, but then again making enemies wasn’t hard either. Especially considering she easily made friends with mostly guys. She couldn’t help that she was a natural flirt and fun to hang out with that’s just how she was and she wasn’t exactly planning on changing just because someone didn’t like her. If fact she would most likely just rub it in your face she was just a brat plan and simple and she definitely knew it.

After all of her after school activities she went to the barn to spend time with Van and her “please forgive us” gift from her parents. She rode for a little while making sure Sebastian wasn’t around to watch. She wasn’t ready to remember how much fun they used to have and how much he used to push her. He was one of the best coaches out there and she wasn’t about to admit that. After the barn it was off to the shower then she hit the party scene with Andrew. As far as Sebastian knew she had made friends with some girls and was at a slumber party. It was always easy to fool them the first time… after that is when she had to get creative… and after tonight she was going to have to be extremely creative if she ever wanted to get out of the house ever again.

Back to the now, He pushed himself up so he was sitting instead of lying next to her. Though she didn’t really care either way but from how much pain he seemed to have just sitting up was a pretty clear sign that he felt weird laying there. Or else he wouldn’t have bothered sitting all the way up. Vivian was no stranger to hangovers and massive headaches but she had never been practically beaten to death like this guy so there really was no relating to this situation. She wasn’t going to try and act like she knew what he was going through either. His head dropped into hands and she eyed the ice not sure if she should offer it or let him get it in his own time since he didn’t seem to keen to the idea of her helping him out even though he so obviously needed it. He glanced over at her and even with the glazed look on his eyes she could tell he seemed absolutely lost in this situation. In all honesty she was pretty lost herself.

She leaned back against the arm of the couch and crossed her legs so she was still facing him but a little more comfortable. “I… don’t know if you already told me…” He started, and she tilted her head to the side waiting for him to finish. “but who are you?” I guess she had to know that was coming eventually they couldn’t keep going on as just “that girl” and “that guy” she supposed it had just slipped her mind. She fiddled with her hands in her lap. “Oh gosh ha I’m sorry…” She smiled. “I’m Vivian.” Purposefully leaving off her last name… she figured it was for his own good if he didn’t know who she was. But he couldn’t go on not knowing her name nor vice versa.